Steam generating element for unidirectional water circulation



Nov. 13, 1962 3,063,430

G. ROSS] STEAM GENERATING ELEMENT FOR UNIDIRECTIONAL WATER CIRCULATION Filed Jan. 25, 1955 INV EN 1 OR GIOVANNI ROSS/ Unite ttes 3 063,430 STEAM GENERATING ELEMENT FOR UNI- DIRECTIONAL WATER CIRCULATION Giovanni Rossi, Via Gonzaga 7, Milan, Italy Filed Jan. 25, 1955, Ser. No. 483,915 Claims priority, application Italy .i'an. 26, 1954 1 Claim. (Cl. 122-406) The present invention relates to steam generators.

It is known that improper water circulation in steam boilers may be so serious as to cause the breaking of associated tubes and collectors.

Proposed solutions to this problem include downcomers, improving the circulating pumps, and arranging the downcomers in the associated combustion chamber.

The problem of proper circulation is particularly important in high pressure boilers, especially with respect to the type of boiler wherein the volume of water is reduced to a minimum.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide effective water circulation by improved and efficient techniques.

According to the invention, there is contemplated an arrangement adapted to create a thermal dissymmetry to obtain a difierential heating of water contained in two portions of a conduit such that a natural unidirectional circulation results through the conduit.

The invention will next be described in greater detail with reference to the annexed drawing wherein some preferred embodiments are given by way of nonlirnitative examples of the range of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates diagrammatically and in side view of a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a similar view of a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a similar view of a third embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a steam generator realized with elements according to FIG. 1.

The boiler element of FIG. 1 includes an annular or ring-shaped system or conduit A disposed in a vertical plane and to which is connected a separator-collector B constituted by a simple horizontal cylindrical container. A heat source C is arranged in the center of the annular conduit which defines by its inner surface the combustion chamber for the boiler. The ring assembly can be considered generally as consisting of first and second conduits which lead into and out of the member B .and which are coupled by an intermediate member which gives the system a thermal asymmetry, the overall conduit being of substantially constant diameter.

The separator-collector B is disposed at the left of the central vertical axis of the chamber defined by the conduit. The left portion or branch 10 of the conduit A depends vertically downward from the bottom of the collector B, While the right hand branch 12 leads to a higher position in said collector. This arrangement insures a thermal dissymmetry in the assembly whereby the water contained in the right hand branch will heat up more rapidly than that contained in the left hand branch, this being due to the presence of the upper h0rizontal section 14 of the conduit which is afiected by the lfiatented Nov. 13, 1962 heat in the combustion chamber under better conditions than the rest of the conduit and to the feeding of the left hand branch with cold water from the bottom of the collector B. A unidirectional water circulation is therefore created in the conduit according to the arrows X and Y. This result is further improved by arranging a water feed pipe 2 and steam take-ofi conduit 3 as illustrated. Moreover, the geometric dissymmetry of conduit portion 16 still further insures a unidirectional flow.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, parts corresponding to those of FIG. 1 are given the same reference provided with single and double primes respectively. In these embodiments, a screen 5 of retractory bricks is positioned such that the right hand branch of each circuit heats up quicker, thus stimulating circulation in the direction of the arrows X and X. In order to render the thermal dissymmetry even more effective, the heat sources C and C", as illustrated, can be displaced relative to the center of the associated chambers towards the right hand branches.

There will now be obvious to those skilled in the art many variations of the structures set forth above. These variations will not, however, depart from the scope of the invention if defined by the following claim.

What is claimed is:

A steam generator element comprising a heat source, a collector-separator, a ring shaped system connected at both ends to and forming a continuous fluid system with said collector-separator, said ring shaped system defining a combustion chamber and comprising first and second conduit portions connected to said collector-separator, said first portion depending downwardly from said collector-separator, and means positioned between said first and second conduit portions to prevent the fluid system from being uniformly heated by the heat source in the combustion chamber whereby to cause a thermal dissymmetry and a resultant unidirectional flow of fluid in the system, said means including a conduit portion coupling said first and second portions so that with said collector-separator a closed ring is formed, the conduit portions being of substantially equal diameter, said heat source being positioned within the ring symmetrically with respect to the first and second portions, said conduit portions being part of a single tube.

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